aja540i

Rebuilt the carby, and put a muffler on the e21, but most importantly, got the stereo going! Now i just have to get the clutch and brakes working, and put a door on it! Nothing major.

What are the chances you would be able to get the tailgate trim out without breaking all the clips? (Like a panelbeater did to mine) i needvthe main piece that usually holds the toolkit, i have the fold down flap.

The lci on these was 2007, and its worth hanging out for. I recommend the M5!

Quick update, carb kit arrived today, 6 days from the UK, is exactly what i ordered, and looks to be very reasonable quality.

Would expect to see up around 14v at 2000 rpm with no loads switched on, but it will drop with all the load items going, this test is for alternator output under load, taken from the bentley manual.

According to mr Bentleys book, with fans lights rear defroster and wipers going, at 2000 rpm, battery voltage should be above 12.6 if its charging properly.

Its not quite as simple as it looks, all the big fuel companies have a stake in the refinery, so they get back a share of the refining costs as well!

If he had done that to begin with i would have been none the wiser, the only reason i even looked online is because he wasnt helpful. I had already agreed to pay $207 for the part and i assume he was making money on that, he lost money on this one and the next time i need a similar part where will i go first? Thats right, not to him!

But it didnt take off the original coating on the wheels, only the repaired stuff? Sounds to me like the prep work was sub-standard and the paint didnt adhere properly. Just my 2 cents.

I am happy to support local businesses, everyone has to eat etc, what bugs me is that it took the guy longer to fob me off with his excuses than it would have taken him to look on ebay, find the part, order it, and tell me what it would cost me! How do they expect to stay in business when they are actively driving customers to look for their competition?

Probably would have won! I have heard about all sorts of wierd things happening to the electrics when the ignitiion switches go, not necessarily draining the battery but it wasnt that expensive from memory. I would leave the battery on a longer charge first though, it shouldnt be poked at that age unless it has been abused, BMW say 10 years is the life of a battery!

I did mine as preventative maintenance, these cars go mental when they start to fail. You could also grab your multi meter and wait 15 minutes after you turn it off so it goes into sleep mode then check the current drain at each fuse to narrow it down.

Have you ever replaced your ignition switch?

Any professional wheel repair should stand up to water blasting, and wheel cleaner should also be safe to use on any professionally painted wheel, i would be going back to wheel magician for a refund if it was those that have been damaged.

Didnt you also put about $8000 worth of man hours into polishing it? GLWS.

Im no expert but i believe the BMW tacho will just receive a 12v pulse from the coil supply and interperet that internally to display rpm,,the toyota tacho probably gets a signal from the ecu which could be a changing voltage or even a PWM signal, it might be as simple as running a 12v supply wire from the low tension side of one coil pack into the tacho, but more homework would be needed on that.

I know this has probably been covered before, but i am having trouble understanding the mentality of some NZ business owners! I needed a rebuild kit for the e21 carb, im a realist so i didnt expect to waltz in and buy one off the shelf, but after talking to a local supplier who quoted me $207, i said go ahead and order it, ring me when it gets here. 1 week later i havent heard anything so i call in to see if its arrived ? No, we cant get it, they dont make it anymore would you like to buy a new carb for $1000? No, i reply, i would like to rebuild the carb i have and get this car going so i can sell it. We could order one from italy but i only order once a month so it wont be until the end of the month, should be about $90. I will get back to you, i reply, and leave. I have just spent about 3 minutes on ebay, found the exact kit i need, from a reliable seller, for $102 NZ shipped, and it will arrive before the other guy places his stock order, but i bet he keeps moaning about how hard it is to compete with "the internet". If anyone can explain to me the logic behind this i would love to hear it, in the meantime i will support local businesses who make an effort to help me out.

Nice car, i actually quite like that colour and a NZ new MS is a good find, good luck with the tidy up.

I have only driven a 518i e34 (see profile pic!) so that doesnt really count, but i can see how a nice e34 would be a better driving experience, but for an inconspicuous cruiser with the ability to scare the backwards hat brigade at the lights, a manual e39 540i is just the ticket!

Manufacturers also tend to bundle in more "free" options as a model nears the end of its cycle to move stock, earlier cars would have had very little as standard.

Mine is a conversion, originally by hellbm, and i have gone back to a dual mass flywheel and self adjusting clutch since then for a bit more driveability. Really is a great car, if i didnt get the M5 unicorn i would definately be keeping it.

Not sure how many there are, but yes, rare. I still have my e39 540i touring manual for sale, even rarer!

Or a more powerful waterblaster....

From my experience with engines in general the m10 was, typically of BMWs of the time, slightly over engineered and quite simple. It has famously made huge power figures in various forms and found its way into legend, but it is not magical and like all mechanical things it has limits. I am certain you could build one to rev to 10,000 without self destructing, but there will be a downside, and i suspect the cost will be the first one! On the positive side, because of its age and legend status there are plenty of people out there, including BMW, who have gotten results from the m10 and you have access to a wealth of info about them! I have kept an m10b20 to put into my keeper e21 at some stage, but at the moment an m42 is a better prospect in bang for buck terms. I hope you go fully mental with it because i want to see it done, but from my research it is a labour of love, not common sense!!!

Not sure how they will register that, no way it meets current impact or emission standards! If they used the special vehicle category then it was a waste!